Flush tank and operating means therefor



Sept. 2, 1958 F. c. HOFBERGER 2,849,724

FLUSH TANK AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 29, 1957 Fred 6. Hofberger INVEN TOR.

FLUSH TANK AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Fred C. Hofberger, Pittsburg, Kans.

Application May 29, 1957, Serial No. 662,436 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-57) The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a flush tank valve, a supporting and operating arm for said valve, and a bracket to which a cooperating end of the arm is connected and which, in turn, is constructed to be readily and adjustably mounted on the usual upstanding overflow pipe.

The art to which this invention relates is Well developed. Many and varied attempts have been made by others working in this line of endeavor to solve the problem of more satisfactorily supporting and operating tank valves. An objective in the instant matter is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon the mounting bracket and supporting arm and, in doing so, to provide a more novel selection and assemblage of parts and to better comply with the manufacturing requirements and economies of manufacturers, and the needs of plumbers, users and others interested in developments of this line of endeavor.

A further object, generally speaking, is to improve upon and reduce the number of parts entering into the over-all combination, thereby not only increasing the efiiciency of the structural assemblage as a whole, but rendering the same less costly to manufacture and to otherwise simplify factors of assembling, sale, installation, and repair.

The concept also has to do with an adaptation which, as a novel entity, lends itself to cooperative and eflicient use on and in conjunction with conventional flush valve components, standard fasteners, and involves the use of a flush valve that not only operates better, but virtually insures trouble free service and long and efficient operation.

In carrying out the principles of the invention, a practical structural adaptation is provided which is characterized by simplicity, is constructed of rigid materials, involves the use of a hinge which is employed in such a manner that its respective parts perform the function of attaching the device to the overflow pipe of a flush tank for support and to accurately guide the ball valve in both opening and closing positions.

Novelty is also predicated on a construction utilizing rigid materials that accurately and unfailingly places the sealing lip of a flush valve in the valve seat in a leakproof position when the valve closes.

Briefly summarized, the invention in its preferred embodiment is characterized by a ready-to-install attachment embodying a buoyant ball valve which is cooperable with the seat on a conventional-type flush valve body. Means is utilized whereby the ball valve may be accommodatingly and operably supported from the overflow pipe Within the confines of the very limited space between the axial center of the valve seat and the front segmental surface of the overflow pipe, that is, the surface nearest to the valve seat. The means, more particularly stated, has to do with an arm having one end portion free to swing upwardly and toward the overflow pipe in a prescribed limited arc. The free end portion of the arm normally assumes a horizontal plane which is parallel United States Patent Patented Sept. 2, 1958 to the horizontal plane of the valve body proper and is detachably and adjustably joined to the upper axial portion of the ball valve. Thus, it is adapted to accommodating a lifting chain. The other end portion of the arm adjacent to the overflow pipe is disposed in close proximity to the front surface of the pipe and has a hinge knuckle which is hingedly joined to a horizontal hinge or pivot pin carried by a portion of a cooperating attaching or anchoring bracket.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative, but not restrictive, drawings.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a flush tank with a portion broken away to show conventional parts and also the improved flush tank valve and attaching and operating means, the valve being shown closed.

'Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and with parts in section and elevation, showing the valve closed in full lines and open in phantom lines.

Fig. 3 is .a top plan view showing the attachment by itself with the flush valve or ball omitted.

It is common knowledge that those working in the line of endeavor under consideration rely on the buoyancy of the tank ball to keep the valve open during flushing. However, with the conventional arrangements, the tank ball must carry the entire weight of the vertically guided rod during flushing. This necessitates the employment of a very light and fragile rod and guide assembly that leads to early failure and the necessity of frequently jiggling the operating handle on the flush tank in an effort to get the valve to close completely. With my device the tank ball is attached to a hinged arm, the center of gravity of which is in a position approximately only 10 degrees from a vertical line drawn upward from the axis of the hinge pin when the valve is open or in flushing position. Therefore, more than of the weight of the arm is carried by the hinge pin, with the remainder of the weight being supported by the buoyancy of the tank ball. Therefore, the arm to which the tank ball is attached can be of sufiicicnt size and weight to permit the sturdiness in construction that promotes the unerratic operation and long trouble-free life of my invention.

With reference now to the description of the details and with further reference to Fig. l, thenumeral 6 designates a conventional flush tank, the bottom 8 (Fig. 2) of which is apertured to accommodate the neck portion or fitting 10 of the one-piece valve body 12. The upstanding portion of the neck is provided as usual with a conical endless seat 14 for a conventional-type rubber or equivalent ball or tank valve 16. The upper portion of the valve at 18 is provided with a socket or the like 20 to accommodate the shank of a screw-type fastener 22 having a thumb grip 24. The left hand end portion of the valve body is of customary construction as at 26 and the lower end portion of the conventional overflow pipe 28 is connected thereto. These are all conventional parts except that in the instant invention it is the intention to sell the ball valve 16 as a part of the assembly or attachment as it is most frequently called.

The attachment includes the ball valve and the attaching and anchoring bracket 30 and fiat strap metal or equivalent one-piece arm 32. The median and right hand free end portion of the arm, denoted at 34, has

a lengthwise slot 36 therein to accommodate the shank of the screw 22. The extreme free end .is apertured as at 38 to accommodate the lowerend portion 40 of an operating chain 42 connected with theoperating arm 44 3 in the manner seen in Fig. 1. The median portion of the arm is bent as at 46 and is inclined downwardly toward the pipe 28 as denoted at 48. The end portion of the arm is curled: or bent upon itself at 50 and: fash-.-

ioned into. a. hinge knuckle which is operatively connected. with a stationary hinge pin 52'supported in the:

site to the; outstanding ears-54 and the width of the;

arm 48 is. such that there iszno undue lateral shifting or play of the knuckle 50 between the ears 54. This split collar with its. components is. referred to broadly as a clamping and attaching". bracket. Therefore, by way of' a simple bracket, the unique arm described is properly hinged on the overflow pipe notwithstanding the limited space available between the center points of the overflow pipe and valve seat 14.

The thumb screw may. be attached to the arm by a commonwasher. (not shown) or by way of the platelike cleat 35. This construction provides for accurate. positioning of the tankball in its seat in any of the conventional flush'valve bodies on the market regardless of their make or variation in center-to-center dimensions between, the overflow pipe and valve seat. Thus,

it will be necessary to manufacture only one size and type ofthis device. to,accommodate all makesrof conven tional flush valves.

The invention is; designed to employ asits sealing elementthecommonandyeryinexpensive tank ball obtainable inalmost any and every hardware, plumb ing establishment, 5 and -store, and so on. The

invention is such. that accuracy of, placing the tank ball.

in, the. seat is provided for, and consequently the, tank ball. has a muchlonger: service life than when used with the, common guided: rod assembly (not shown).

Manifestly, a special ball if the same were necessary would be more costly and would place the retail .price of the overall adaptation, including the ball, above a price which the instant invention maybe sold for. The prospective. customer knows that the common tank ball is readily obtainable in the average har'dware store or plumbing supply house and-even in five and dimev stores and may be reluctant to purchase a product employing a special ball that may not be universally available. To the average person, a tank ball is just the part in a flush tankthat poses troublesome problems when the components it operates in conjunction with become worn. This is evidenced, to some extent, by the number of patents which have already issued on constructions intended to eliminate. tank ball trouble. However, to the engineer, the ball is a scientifically designed component. Its thin sphericalseating section, conical shaped heavier upper section and hollow construction with the discharge opening in the bottom are all engineered for compatibility with the natural laws governing its successful operation when employed with components that will always keep. it in. a perpendicular position throughout the complete cycle of sealing, flushing and return to, its sealing position. The thinspherical seating bottom portion provides flexibility, a compensating factor adapted: to. functioneven under conditions of slightmisalignment of the axis of the ball with'theaxis of the sure imposedon itsconical surface will hold it in its seating position with a uniformity of pressure for the full 360 of the seat that can only be altered by malfunctioning of other components it cooperates with. The hollow construction with an opening in the bottom provides atmospheric pressure on the inside of the ball when it is seated and eliminates buoyancy that would cause the ball to rest only lightly on its seat. When seated the ball is heavier than water and it seats naturally. However, when. the ball is raised forv flushing, the air is trapped Witllllillt' and the. ball becomes buoyant and floats. This bo'uyancy factor prevents the ball from sinking back; to itsseat through gravitation or being sucked down to. its seat by the vacuum caused by the outrushing' water until the tank is almost completely empty and flushing. cycle is. complete.

It is also worthy of note that the common ball valve is designed to float naturally to its seat with no firm means to guide it there other than its characteristic shape" which, throughits compatibility to; the hydrostatic. pressure. encompassing it-zthatit is intended to seat evenly andwi-thequal pressure; on thefull 360 of. its seat. care mustbe exercised inv selecting a. pivotal point that will, as near as possible, duplicate the evenness of seating pressure onthe entire seat. The instant invention has to do with the. construction, as is evident, which allows for. uniform pressure of. the ball on its seat, eliminating strainstha-tiwould causewrinkling of the seating.

surface and-premature failure of the. ball due to leakage.

When the ball 162 is in. the-phantom line. position:

showniin Fig. 2v there. is stilla smallamount of. air

in. the upper. portion. of .theball contributing to the-oven Thelowermost portion of the ball.

all buoyancy; factor; in; this position isin close-proximity to the-valve seat and the'space between the. ball .and discharge opening. of such size that outflowing water. has, a lifting action.

tank ball and vertically as near; the: discharge opening. axis'as possible, any pressureexerted on the. ball, either:

hydrostatic-or by gravity, can .be no less. than 16 toward the side of the. seat opposite the. side wherethe ball makes. contact? at: all" pressure. angle; angular pressure of the tank ball on the portion of the seat adjacentthe overflow pipe can be no greater than 6 which is self-correctedv through the very flexible upper. portion ofthe. balliwhere it. is attached to the lifting and lowering arm.

The invention, without change or adjustment, adapts itselfto all common orconventional'flush valves regard-' less of the make or variationin center-to-center dimensions. It is believed thatthe device shown is the only one in the field that is of such design as to permit the use of rigid'materials of suflicient weight in its manufacture to promote the necessary strength and wear resistance to insure long. and lasting trouble-free service. The invention requiresv the removal of no parts of the old assembly it: replaces that necessitates the use of. screwdriver, pliers, wrenches or other tools. common thumb screws are used as fasteners, no tools of any kind' are required for the installation of' the invention.

By'considering'. the stated objectives, the description of the details and features and advantages in conjunc-- tion with the views of the drawing, a clear and comprehensive understanding of the invention, mode of attachment and use will be clear; Consequently, a more extensive description is believed to be unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement otparts mayberesorted to in actual practice Therefore, inpivotally swinging it to its seatgreat- Inthe; fullline position it. will be noted that the By placing the point of pivot on. a horizontal.

Thus, the. true When without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the invention as'claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in conjunction with a conventional flush tank having a water discharging outlet; in combination, a flush valve body having a valve seat registering with said outlet, an upstanding overflow pipe at right angles to said valve seat and communicatively and operatively attached at its lower end to said body, the lower portion of said overflow pipe presenting a front surface portion which, being in close proximity to the valve seat and axis of the seat, defines a confined and appreciably limitedspace and pivot point between the pipe and seat, a common ball tank valve cooperating with said seat, a bracket embodying a collar embracing and adjustably and detachably mounted on said overflow pipe and disposed in a plane below the upper portion of the valve and above the plane of the valve seat, that portion of the collar which is adjacent to said valve being confined in said limited space and being provided with a pair of outstanding vertical ears, a horizontal hinge pin bridging the space between and secured to said cars, a strap metal arm having a flat horizontal slotted portion at one end portion overlying and detachably and adjustably connected with the axial upper portion of said valve, that portion of the arm between said flat portion and said ears being of a length less than the distance between the overflow pipe and the axial center of said valve and being inclined downwardly toward said ears and the terminal thereof being bent upon itself and fashioned into a hinge knuckle, the length of said knuckle being approximately equal to the distance between said ears, said hinge knuckle embracing said pin and being confined for angular rotation on the pin between the ears.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said pivot pin is in a plane well below the plane of said slotted one end whereby the center-to-center axial relationship of the valve seat and vertical axis of the overflow pipe results in the center of gravity of said arm assuming a position which is approximately degrees from a vertical line drawn upwardly from the axis of the hinge pin joint when the valve is open, whereby when the valve is .closed it seats itself with'even seating pressure for the full 360 of the seat.

3. A ready-to-use attachment for the usual overflow pipe in a flush tank comprising, in combination, a split collar having spreadable adjustably connected free end portions, said collar constituting a bracket and being adapted to be clamped adjustably around the .overflow pipe, that portion of the collar diametrically opposite to the free end portions and having a pair of spaced parallel outstanding ears, a hinge pin spanning the space between and having its end portions fixed to the respective ears, a strap metal arm having a flat end portion provided inwardly of its free end with a centralized lengthwise slot, the other end portion of said arm being obliquely bent downwardly and terminating in a hinge knuckle, the terminal end of said knuckle being spaced from the downwardly bent portion and said downwardly bent portion serving to assist in piloting'an anti-corrosion chemical or the like along its surface and between the ears and into the knuckle by way of the space existing between the terminal of the knuckle and of said ball valve and said knuckle occupying a position outwardly of but close to the adjacent perimeter portion of said valve.

4. A ready-to-use attachment for the usual overflow pipe in a flush tank comprising a bracketing collar adapted to embrace and be adjustably and removably mounted on said overflow pipe, said collar comprising a split band having outstanding free end portions which may be spread apart so that the band may be opened up and readily slipped laterally into position over the overflow pipe by way of the restricted or limited space existing between the overflow pipe and an adjacent valve seat and then brought together and bolted by a bolt carried by said end portions, the median portion of said band having a pair of ears struck out therefrom and extending radially beyond the outer periphery of the band, said ears being located diametrically opposite to the aforementioned end portions, said ears serving, in conjunction with the end portions, to readily,

designate the required position of the ears when in use, a hinge pin spanning the space between and having its end portions fixed to the respective cars, a strap metal arm having a flat end portion which is adapted to overlie the central top portion of aball tank valve and having adjustable means thereon whereby it may be detachably and adjustably connected with said ball tank valve, the remaining intermediate and opposite end portions of said arm being bent downwardly and terminating in a curl fashioned into a hinge knuckle, this terminal end of said knuckle being spaced from said downwardly bent portion, said knuckle being of a length approximately equal to the space existing between the inner surfaces of said ears and being hinged to said hinge pin, said terminal end defining a space between itself and the upper surface of said bent portion to facilitate placing an anti-corrosion chemical or a lubricant into said knuckle, the over-all length of said arm being comparable with the largest diameter of the ball valve with which it is adapted to cooperate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Micek Feb. 19, 

